Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate in general to dental floss packaging, and more particularly to a dental floss package including a built in flossing regimen verification system.
It is a challenge shared by dental professionals and parents to instill good flossing habits in children and young people. This challenge is difficult since the rewards of flossing (as important as they are) seem very distant and remote, especially from the child""s perspective. Furthermore, most children do not find flossing to be an enjoyable activity.
Conventional attempts to encourage regular flossing habits have focused on making the dental floss and the packaging more appealing to the user. For example, dental floss (which includes cylindrical flosses and dental tapes) may be flavored and/or colored. Dental floss may also be provided in varying diameters and different fiber structures. The packaging efforts primarily involve making the dispensers more convenient.
Although the conventional approaches noted above are generally believed to make flossing more appealing to the user, they are not without shortcomings. Namely, a need still remains to verify that a regular flossing regimen has in fact been followed. Such a verification system could be advantageously used as a basis for establishing a positive feedback reward system.
The invention resides in a multi-colored dental floss that has a plurality of floss segments. Adjacent floss segments are colored differently, and each floss segment defines a usable length of the dental floss for a single flossing.
The invention also resides a dental floss package. The package includes a dispenser that contains a dental floss. The dental floss has a plurality of floss segments, and one of the floss segments is specially marked. A location indicator is also provided. It indicates the location of the specially marked floss segment along the length of the dental floss.
The invention also resides in a method to verify adherence to a flossing regimen. The method involves providing a dental floss having a plurality of floss segments, and one of the floss segments being specially marked. A location indicator is provided that sets forth location information of the specially marked floss segment along the length of the dental floss. A flossing regimen is initiated on a start date. The flossing regimen continues until an end date on which the specially marked floss segment is encountered. The length of the flossing regimen is determined. And this determination is compared to the location information.